I’ve always wanted to teach Psalm 23 as a Sunday School lesson. This beloved psalm holds words and imagery that invite kids (and adults) to know God more deeply. And let’s be honest, who can resist the picture of fluffy sheep following their shepherd?
When I first sat down to design a creative Bible lesson on Psalm 23, I never imagined it would grow into a 15-lesson series. Our church community ended up spending over four months reciting the psalm, exploring its rich phrases, and letting the truth soak into our hearts. From “The Lord is my shepherd” to “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” we noticed details, asked big questions, and delighted in every moment. Writing these lessons and shaping hands-on activities brought me genuine joy.
Now that the series is complete and available for other churches, I want to share what stood out for me and maybe for the kids too.
The full series is now available for others to use, but before I move on to the next thing, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on what stood out for me and maybe for the kids too.
Every age gets involved.
These lessons were written with elementary students in mind, but in our small church we meet in a multi-age room. Preschoolers join our elementary crew, and once kids graduate from elementary school, they tend to keep coming back. That means our ministry space is a mix of preschool, elementary, and teens (who weave in and out of participating and volunteering as they choose).
From the silliest tiny sheep crafts to more sophisticated art projects and interactive games, every age group got completely caught up in the story. They learned the psalm using sign language, conversation, and activities. No joke, one day a three-year-old and a teenage boy both proudly introduced me to their yarn-made sheep with the same expressions of excitement on their face. On other weeks we’d see preschoolers and teenagers standing side by side, equally determined to learn the whole psalm by heart.
In the middle of chaos, I’m learning to listen for God’s voice.
Teaching kids in Sunday School always carries a mix of excitement and chaos. A creative Bible lesson can spark connection, but the holy moments often appear in the unpredictable flow of real life.
During one session, we imagined the final stanza of Psalm 23 and wondered what God’s house might look like. The room buzzed with cardboard creations, scattered markers, and kids’ laughter. Ideas flowed as fast as the glue: God’s house shaped like a french fry container, or decorated with favorite Nintendo characters.
And then came the breathtaking moments. One girl designed a planetarium so we could see loved ones in God’s house, and so God could always see us. In another corner, a preschooler handed me a house with what looked like a scribble inside. But when I paused and asked, he explained it was a conveyor belt. On the belt was a box filled with God’s love, travelling down a pipe and out through a chimney so it could reach the whole world.
These are the moments that stay with me and the moments where children speak God’s voice into the room. May we all be chimneys of God’s love to the world around us!
Storytelling really is the best way to teach.
In this series, I got to tell lots of stories (including two storybooks I wrote to go with the lessons). And I was reminded, again and again, how stories do most of the work. They rarely need much explaining and they speak straight to the heart.
There were so many meaningful conversations that grew out of shared stories. One time, as we read a story about compassion and comfort, the whole room responded with an audible “awww.” In another session, we looked at an illustrated version of Jesus feeding the 5,000. One child paused on the image of the boy who shared his lunch. After the crowd had eaten, the boy was standing quietly, looking out at the people, content. That image became the child’s favourite page. “It really does feel good when there’s something you can do to help people,” she said. I didn’t teach her that. The story did. And she heard God’s voice in it.
I’m committed to slow.
This isn’t new for me. Years ago, when I first learned about repetition through a rotation-style ministry, my teaching was forever changed. I don’t do a traditional rotation model anymore, but one of its most powerful principles stuck with me: go slow, and let kids sit with a story.
It took us 18 sessions to get through 15 lessons and that’s because kids loved some of the activities so much, they asked to do them again. The food art was a hit for four straight weeks. The “rod and staff” golf course idea became an obsession where kids built their own mini-golf holes to help guide their sheep through the green pastures. I think this might inspire a full church event one day!
Spending extra time in activities also meant more chances to recite the psalm, to revisit stories from earlier weeks, and to deepen our conversations. It was never wasted time.
Maybe this is another reason why I love small church ministry.
Because we’re in a smaller setting, we could take our time and not worry about getting off track. This is a gift I know many people don’t have, but it’s one of the things I treasure most about small church ministry. Our main goal isn’t the program. We’re not running an entertainment show. We’re hanging out with kids in the most organic way—building relationships, listening closely, and immersing ourselves in God’s story together.
Psalm 23 will stay with me in a new way now. Each stanza carries memories of shared laughter, thoughtful questions, creative moments, and quiet glimpses of faith. But more than just remembering the words differently, I’ve discovered God in new ways too. His character came alive through the children who were meeting their Shepherd—curious, playful, trusting—and in the process, we were all being gently led together as His flock.
I’m so glad to be able to share this lesson series with you, and I pray it will be a blessing to your community as well. I share more about this series and my experiences on my instagram page and you can also purchase the lesson series in my shop.
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